'The Night Santa Lost His Pants' in Sugarcreek: Christmas story illustrated by Millersburg boy

Sunday

Oct 21, 2007 at 4:03 AM

By NICK SABO

Staff Writer

MILLERSBURG -- A Sugarcreek Christmas story written (according to its author) in a mild state of panic will appear in print as a children's book in November.

Sugarcreek author David Lorah's "The Night Santa Lost His Pants" is due out in book form from AuthorHouse Publishing with 31 illustrations by Nicholas Tish.

The story begins Christmas Eve, when Santa Claus is in a hurry to finish his rounds after a delay regarding Dasher (his tail is accidentally shot off, and a monkey tail is mistaken attached until things are finally set right). His pants get caught on a hook in the fireplace of a Sugarcreek home, and it is not until he reaches the roof that Santa realizes his pants are gone. The story continues with the children discovering the pants, and their eventual return.

The book features Sugarcreek landmarks and personalities.

The book is illustrated with surprising skill by Nicholas Tish, who was 12 when he finished the last of the drawings in 2005. Nicholas is the son of Paul and Kim Tish, Millersburg.

The story was knocked out in a single night in 2004 by Lorah as a contribution to the Christmas Comes to Sugarcreek celebration.

"It was one of those times when your irresponsible sense of humor gets you in trouble," Lorah said. "I told the editor of The Budget I would be reading a story called 'The Night Santa Lost His Pants.' There was no such story, and somehow it got out that this was the story I was reading. I do recall that I started to panic the night before the reading."

Lorah is known in the area for his readings of "A Christmas Carol" and Edgar Allen Poe's tales of terror. He has performed "The Night Santa Lost His Pants" for local organizations around the holidays since its first reading. It was at one such reading for a Sugarcreek Christian women's group that Lorah decided to pursue a wider market for the story as a children's book.

"A lady approached me at that reading," Lorah said. "She pointed her finger at me and she said, "I'm a Kindergarten teacher. I have one thing to say to you: You get that story published and you get someone to illustrate it."

When considering an illustrator, Lorah thought of Nicholas' mother, who has sold prints of her work locally. However, he decided on Nicholas because he felt since the story was written for children, it should be illustrated by a child, if possible.

Nicholas started into the drawings as soon as Lorah requested them. Working with a copy of the story, Nicholas did the drawings in chronological order.

Nicholas' Santa Claus is a squat man pointing a stern finger at the reindeer, who allegedly leaked the embarrassing incident (the book closes with a reminder to children that the story is a secret.) A closeup of Santa's panicked face upon the realization that he has left his pants down a Sugarcreek chimney is featured on the cover.

Nicholas hand drew the illustrations in black and white, then scanned the drawings into a home computer and colored them digitally. Each drawing took approximately two days, start to finish.

"Some of the drawings I did when I was 11. I had to redo one, it was too small and hand colored so didn't scan as clear," Nicholas said. "I had to redo all of them after they were all scanned in. We had some trouble (with the computer) and we lost them all."

In addition to composing the drawings, Nicholas designed the color palate used throughout the book.

Nicholas' years of experience with drawing go back for as many years as he could hold a pen and can't pin a date on his first drawing.

"I can't remember," Nicholas said. "I guess I always drew, everyday, for as long as I can remember. I still do every day."

Nicholas, now 14, said his style of drawing has changed since he composed the illustrations for the book. If he did it today, the drawings would probably look a little different, he said. He is happy with how the proofs of his work turned out and is looking forward to holding his work, in printed form, in his hands.

The story has made a local impact with the Santa's Pants Project, a benefit Lorah tried for the first time last year. Coordinated by the Sugarcreek Souper Suppers group and Rotary, Lorah took an oversized pair of red trousers to elementary schools in the Garaway District. After reading the story, Lorah asked students to fill "Santa's pants" with toys for needy children.

The book's appendix explains the project and tells teachers how they can put on a similar benefit, changing the names of the stores and people mentioned in the book to fit their community.

"The Night Santa Lost His Pants" will debut at this year's Sugarcreek Christmas on the Square, held Nov. 23-24. The book's publishing date is set tentatively for the first week in November, Lorah said.

Reporter Nick Sabo can be reached at (330) 674-1811 or e-mail nsabo@the-daily-record.com.

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